


The Psychology of Persuasion

by orphan_account



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 11:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1466989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Effective leaders can motivate and inspire.  'Effective' being the keyword.<br/>A short example of why Tseng is Turk Leader.<br/>T for language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Psychology of Persuasion

RENO WAS JOINED BY Tseng at one of the benches in park and handed one of two steaming cups of coffee before Tseng sat down.

"Didn't know social calls were part of the JD," Reno said with a snicker.

"They're not." Tseng's eyes seemed to narrow at the comment.

"Miss me already? I've only been gone for a few days."

"Aren't  _we_  modest," Tseng remarked dryly.

"I see dark circles under your eyes," Reno pointed out.

Tseng raised his coffee to his lips. "I see your shoulder's healed."

Reno smirked. "Doc says I still get a week."

"She also says you're a good fuck."

"So you really did miss me," Reno concluded, preparing to take a sip.

At the fountain a flock of pigeons suddenly erupted in a frantic exodus, causing him to jump and burn his lip. The culprit was a laughing toddler presently now trying to jump up and fly with them. Behind him was his father, his expression part-chagrined, partly full of pride before he scooped up the child in his arms. Noticing the two men he inclined his head, smiling awkwardly before he returned to his wife; presently waiting with a stroller in front of her. As they started to walk away, Reno heard a chuckle escape the other turk.

"What's your problem?"

"You want to settle down someday, don't you?" Tseng said, nodding his head at the family. "You strike me as the type."

"So the cold Leader Tseng  _does_ have heart after all," Reno chuckled at the revelation.

"It's always been the ones people'd least expect. Like Veld, when he had Elfé. So, do you?"

Reno glanced at him in interest. Usually Tseng had dirt,: a past, horrifyingly embarrassing experience immortalized in film to 'motivate' people into following orders. It was consistently frowned upon at Shinra but no one was ever brave enough to confront him because  _everyone,_ according to Tseng was guilty until proven innocent. He was the devil with an electron microscope with these things, and he was  _good._ If he said you had dirt, you had dirt. Everyone had dirt. Simple as that.

"Is this a new angle you're trying?" Reno wondered aloud.

The corners of Tseng's mouth twitched. "Perhaps. We're understaffed at the moment. Plus Rude says you like to dance around this topic."

Reno ignored that last one. "Tseng there's only  _four_  of us, plus Rufus because we all know the boss man doesn't do shit. The  _only_  way you're cutting my sick leave short is if you shoot me. In the head. Coz I don't give a rat's ass about blackmail."

"If you don't give a rat's ass, then answer the question."

"It's a natural instinct, isn't it?" Reno began carefully.

"So you're agreeing."

"No, I'm just  _saying_. You meet a nice girl, get hitched, get that house with the white picket fence, make babies, argue about her sister…"

"Her  _sister_?" Tseng repeated, appalled.

"Doesn't have to be her sister," Reno grinned slyly, "can be a friend or a cousin. Doesn't matter if she's pretty or not—she'll still get jealous."

Two women who happened to be jogging past at that exact moment threw him looks of disgust over their shoulder.

"It was hypothetical!" he called after them.

"And now I understand why you're still single," Tseng muttered.

"A couple of years ago I did a missing persons case," Reno coughed, eager to change the subject lest more females happened to be walking by when Tseng decided to go into gory detail.

Tseng took a sip, dark brown eyes intense as he imagined the scenario. "Husband or wife?" he asked.

"Wife."

"No children?"

"None, though he wanted them."

"How'd you figure?"

"Mid-interview his gaze'd always drift to the pictures of my little nephews and nieces. Next he'd ask me what it's like: you know, to be a parent—something along those lines. I thought it'd be a good way to get some common ground so I went along with it. Told him it was hard work—technically, it wasn't lying."

Tseng was shaking his head.

"What."

"Elena was right. You really don't have any shame, do you?"

"Anyway," Reno yawned, bending his head back and staring into the leaves of the oak overhead. "If you'd seen what his wife looked like, it all made sense. Single glance at the gal's picture and any guy'd slay dragons for her. I don't usually go for blondes but she was  _hot_. S _mokin'_ hot—a fox _._ Nice pair of tits _."_

Tseng cleared his throat pointedly.

"The husband wasn't too bad-looking either," Reno said. "In fact, the two of them looked like they'd won the DNA lottery and then some. But I guess she wasn't into  _the plan_  as much as he was."

"She didn't want kids."

Reno shrugged. "Hey, it happens."

"She didn't want kids..." Tseng repeated slowly, as if that single piece of information helped jog his memory. "I remember this case. The husband was quite…passionate."

"That's a nice way to put it," Reno snickered. Typical, diplomatic Tseng.

"But you never found her, did you?"

"I did figure out why she left."

"He cheated on her." Tseng said.

"Heh. Lucky guess."

"It wasn't that she  _didn't_  want children; it was that she  _couldn't_."

"How could you  _possibly_  know that?"

"Lucky guess," Tseng replied dryly.

"You asked him?"

"You didn't?"

"It's not something you can just 'ask'.  _God_ …"

Tseng looked at him like he was an idiot. "It's not that difficult Reno. I'm surprised you didn't, given  _your_  track record. Another thing we're going to discuss when you get back to work."

"I was meant to be  _helping_  him," Reno deadpanned. Tseng was an intelligent man, known for his brisk and cool nature, but sometimes that coldness stretched to the point of being obtuse.

" _Shrinks_  'help' _,"_ Tseng corrected witheringly. "You were  _meant_  to be finding his  _wife_. Whom you are conveniently forgetting leaked the Reactor blueprints to Avalanche."

"Trust  _you_  to pull an excuse like  _that_  out of your ass." Reno grumbled.

Tseng checked his watch. "Tell me the point of this anecdote before I pour the rest of this coffee on your head."

"The point is,  _Tseng,_ no one likes being lonely."

Something close to a triumphant smile spread on the other man's lips.

Reno knew he was going to regret asking. "What."

"You realize you've just agreed to what I've been saying all along, don't you?"

"…I hate you."

As usual, the Turk Leader didn't care. He was already on his feet and draining his coffee in a single gulp. After he tossed the empty cup into the bin he pulled out his keys and spun them on a finger in front of Reno's face.

Pointedly, victoriously.

Reno sighed. Took the hint. Crushed his cup, then took the keys. He slouched off the bench reluctantly and stretched.

"So where are we going?"

"Back to the office, of course. Oh,and I do have dirt on you, if you're wondering."

Reno smirked, spinning the keys on his index finger. "No you don't."

"Yes," Tseng's tone was absolute "I do."

"I don't have any regrets. You don't scare me."

Tseng studied him for the longest while before he said, "Christmas party of 1996. Level 49 Training Ground. A certain Soldier. A whip. Should I go on?"

Reno just stared in abject horror, all thought processes leaving him save for a single memory.

Tseng smirked and relieved the redhead's now limp fingers of the car keys.

"I'll drive."

_fin_

**Author's Note:**

> Tseng used Blackmail.  
> It's Super-Effective!


End file.
